The Nightmare
by vamphony
Summary: A standoff Damon isn't sure of his feelings for Elena. But, a nightmare puts many things in perspective for him in a world without Elena.


_Hello, everyone! Welcome to "The Nightmare"_

 _I fell in love with the idea for this one shot and I_ _couldn't wait to write it. I was in the middle of writing my next chapter for "Bottom of The Ocean" when I thought of this. I hope you enjoy! And, do check out my other stories and one shots when you're done. Enjoy._

 _Go check out my beta too: Salvatoreboys4ever_

 _And, her story, "Captive of Her Beauty" It's really amazing._

 _Make sure you tell me your thoughts below!_

* * *

"I'm going to bed, mom"

Damon turned his back to the dining room and walked up the stairs as Lily's voice floated through the air behind him. He tilted his head slightly to see blue eyes that mirrored his.

"Okay, baby. Sweet dreams. It won't be long before I go to sleep myself. Thankfully, Stefan is already in bed. He wore himself out today, running around the house and outside. I need to let him do that more often" His mother replied and sighed in relief that his five-year-old brother had finally tired himself out and fallen asleep before him. Which was a surprise since Stefan is always a ball of energy, no matter what. It was once in a blue moon before Stefan Salvatore fell asleep before anyone else in the house did and he suggest his mother enjoy it while it lasted. She smiled through the dark circles under her eyes and her red skin from all the sunlight, chasing his brother.

"That's great, mom. You better go to sleep and enjoy the silence while it lasts. I'll grab Stefan in the morning. You need to sleep. Go to bed, I'm doing the same" Damon said, walking up the stairs beside Lily. They reached the top and Damon kissed his mother's cheek before going into his room.

He shut the door quietly not to wake up Stefan in the room down the hall. Anything could wake Stefan up. He threw off his shirt and laid on the bed, yawning. He stretched out before laying his hands under his head, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts eventually started to run back to Elena.

He moved his hands from under his head and laid them on his face, clenching his jaw at himself. He still didn't know how he felt about her. After months of contemplating the same moments and thoughts, he still came to the conclusion that Elena Gilbert was still in the _mixed_ category. He cared for her, that was clear. They had been best friends since birth how could he not? But, as the year flew by, this stupid thing inside of him called his heart picked up speed around her, his palms became sweaty and all he could think about was kissing her.

He sighed. But, whenever he asked himself whether he was _in_ love with her, his brain nor mind had a clear answer for him. It was irritating. He didn't even know if she loved him that way. Why is he stressing over this? He grunted in the air and flipped onto his side, angrily when he got a text and his phone buzzed o the table in front of him. He reached out and grabbed it, opening the message.

 _From: Elena_

 _11:17 pm. July 6_

 _Hey, Dame. Good night. Sweet dreams. I hope Stefan didn't_ _wear_ _you and Lily out too much_ _today :_ _) Love you._

A smile graced his lips at the text, his heart warming. Typical Elena. So sweet and caring. He felt his heart rate picked up in his chest and it started to beat against his ribs, almost jumping out of his body. The smile disappeared when he felt it. His mind would go fuzzy and his heart would race but he didn't know what he felt about her? He clenched his jaw at himself and typed a response.

 _From: Damon_

 _Hey, 'Lena. No, Stefan didn't_ _wear_ _us out today,_ _surprisingly. He wore himself out today running_ _in the front yard. Mom might have got a little sun burnt from it too. I wish you would have been here. Stefan adores you and it would have been a lot more enjoyable_ _if you were here. Good night and sweet dreams._

He smacked himself on the forehead. She probably felt terrible because he couldn't say 'I love you'. He said it before hundreds of time but all these new feelings made him not so sure about the blurred lines of _loving_ and _in_ love anymore. He laid the phone back down on the table and closed his eyes.

 _He was suddenly in the air, floating. He could tell if he was in his body or_ _apart_ _of the air. He looked around and then his eyes landed on the sidewalk, where a woman was walking. He looked closer and squinted his eyes, noticing it was Elena. From the direction_ _she was walking, she had to have been coming from his house. There couldn't have been_ _any other_ _thing that way._

 _There_ _was_ _tress on all sides of air and she was walking_ _by herself, shivering from the cool air. She wore a black leather jacket that he guessed_ _had_ _to be his with her usual jeans and t-shirt with sneakers. He wondered why he wasn't driving her home. He would never let her walk home by herself, not even in the bright of day, let alone the middle of the night when the moon was high in the sky._

 _She shivered once again and someone in all_ _black_ _came out of the trees, quietly following her on the concrete on the road. He_ _gasped_ _and called her name. She couldn't hear him. The person that he now knew was a man picked up speed and walked faster, making noise with his boots on the concrete. Elena's ears picked up the sound and alarm was clear as day on her face. She continued walking like nothing was happening before quietly pulling out_ _her_ _phone and typing_ _before_ _walking faster._

 _The man started speed walking closer to her and he couldn't have been more than a few feet away. Damon started calling her name louder but she still couldn't hear him. She typed_ _something_ _into the phone again and placed it to her ear and the_ _man_ _started running, seeing her arm move and snatched her_ _arms and threw her on the ground._ _He stomped on the_ _phone, destroying it before turning back to Elena. He grabbed her arms once again and started pulling her into the woods._

 _"Let me go!" She_ _screamed_ _and he covered her_ _mouth_ _with his hand. Her cries for help only came as muffled whimper as Damon started yelling, his heart racing that he couldn't do anything but watch as Elena was getting dragged away by some man and do God knows what to her. They both disappeared into the_ _woods and moments later she_ _screamed_ _once more before everything went silent._

 _The dream ended and he woke up, his_ _body hot. He looked around the room, realizing it was just a dream before running downstairs._ _Something_ _was off._ _Something_ _very terribly wrong. He walked into the living room and saw his moth crying, her head in her hands._

 _"Mom, what's wrong?" He asked,_ _running_ _to her. She lifted up_ _her_ _head, her eyes were red and puffy, tear stains on her cheeks. She shook her head and pointed to the TV. He turned his head to the television and could feel his heart shattering. Listed on the news_ _it_ _read:_

 _Elena Gilbert found dead._

 _A picture of her bright smile was next to the reporter and his body started to shut down at the news. In that moment of loss his_ _world collapsed - where there was light became shadows, the pain coming and going like waves on frigid sand. Though his_ _mind called out for hers_ _the connection was gone..._ _she_ _was really_ _gone... and finally he_ _knew that his_ _time to be alone had come. The tears started to_ _build_ _up in his eyes and he let them fall freely, and didn't care about his stupid male pride. Not to have her_ _right there was a torture to his_ _soul. He didn't break quietly, it was like every atom of her being screamed in unison, traumatized that_ _he shouldn't exist without her. When the wracking sobs passed_ _he cried in such a desolate way that no-one could bare to listen for long. He had gone from gregarious to hanging by a thread, a transformation no-one knew how to reverse. He turned and ran up the stairs as he heard Stefan's voice call from the bottom of the stairs._

 _He slammed his door behind him and collapsed_ _on_ _his bed, crying into the pillow. His_ _heartbreak is grief that comes in waves,_ _grueling, stealing appetite and sleep alike. It is a shard in his_ _guts that never leaves, though perhaps in time the edges will dull in his dreams. It feels like death just the same as bereavement and in quiet moments it chokes the breath from his_ _body and short circuits his_ _mind. What was once whole is shattered; where once was peace is emptiness, echoes of a love he_ _put his_ _everything into and he should have told_ _her_ _sooner. All that is left of a once a proud and strong soul - fragments on the floor, scared that the next wind will blow them away. He lifted his head,_ _something_ _in him telling_ _him to look at his phone. He didn't know_ _why and_ _he questioned_ _his self. He was_ _grieving_ _over Elena and he wanted to_ _check_ _his phone? He reached for it and opened the_ _text message_ _from... Elena._

 _From: Elena_

 _10:12 pm. July 25._

 _Damon, there's someone following me. Please come get me. I'm not far from your house. I'm sorry I left without telling you. Please come and get me! Please, Dame. I'm scared..._

He gasped, snapping his eyes open. He moved his fingers to his eyes and realized he had been crying. The paralyzing hurt in his heart started to spread through his body like icy, liquid metal. His spine tingled with fear, his body shaking from the nightmare. He took a deep breath; his lungs completely void of air.

The full weight of the dream finally set in. Elena was _dead._ She had been _murdered._ And, he couldn't do anything but sit back and watch as someone dragged her away. That scream she made, even if it had been fake, will forever be imprinted in his mind. Her scream would haunt him. He jumped up from the bed and down the stairs, not bothering to put his shirt back on, and quietly left his house. He ran through the rain, and shivered at the cold rain drops that hit his back.

As early as he could remember, it was not on the perfect features that he dwelled on- not the gold flecked brown eyes, nor the pomegranate pink lips. Instead it was the small blemishes and insecurities that allured him. The small scar on her forehead, the shy smile, her very bright, beautiful teeth. That was the moment he had found the person who was perfectly imperfect for him. And, he smacked himself for not realizing it sooner.

Now, when he looked upon her face, he lost himself. All mistakes he has ever made, and there have been many, are gone - every impure thought erased. All negativity is cleansed, almost like a religious experience or spiritual enlightenment. He knew her eyes can see through him, they always have, but he knew they do not dwell on the anger, nor the deceit, nor the selfishness. She looks past every flaw to find the person inside, the real him, and in that moment, he knew he's perfectly imperfect for her too.

He came onto her family home and didn't waste a second before climbing into the tree next to her window and opening it, like he was in some Twilight, teen love movie. He finally caught his breath and leaned against the wall, guessing she was in the bathroom from the light that came from under the door.

The door finally opened and Elena came out with her shorts and tank top, ready for bed. She looked up, noticing someone was in her room and she gasped in fright and jumped back before realizing it was Damon. She placed a hand over her chest in fright and look at him with wide eyes. He stood in her room, completely drenched from the rain outside with no shirt, staring at her like she was the only thing holding him to the Earth.

"Damon?" Elena asked, her mouth slightly opened. Damon didn't answer and instead, walked around the bed and pushed her against the wall, pressing their lips into a fiery and passionate kiss. Her hands work their way around his body, feeling each crevasse, each line along his perfect physique before around his neck, pulling him closer. He felt like he was walking on air. It was magic, the way her lips connected with his. Her mouth was so warm, the caress of her lips softer than he could have imagined and he opened his mouth with a low moan. In an instant she arched up into his broad chest, moaning in the contact of his body heat against her own. Damon's hands venture over her curved body, exploring before they pulled apart and open their eyes. They stared at each other, deep into one another's eyes. Damon's full of wonder and love, Elena's full of curiosity and passion. No words are spoken but a story worthy of them was communicated. Elena licked her lips before opening her mouth as Damon lightly drug his thumb down the bottom of her lip.

"What was that?" She whispered as she was pulled into him, crushed against his body. She lightly gasped at the action but kept quiet, knowing something felt off to her. He just hugged her quietly and rested his hands on her lower back, squeezing her as hard as he could without hurting her.

"I'm so sorry, 'Lena. I'm so sorry..." He said, burying his face into her neck. She opened her mouth to respond but he quiet talking. "Please forgive me. I love you so much. Please forgive me, I'm so sorry. Don't leave me" He begged, his eyes watering.

"Damon, what are you talking about? What's wrong? Why would I leave?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Tell me what's wrong. I can't do anything until you tell me"

He let her go slightly, his hands still on her hips, just enough so she could pull away to see his face. She gasped when she saw the tears forming in his eyes. Her face dropped and she wiped the water away from the corner of his eyes as he stared at the wall behind her.

"Dame, please tell me what's wrong. I don't understand. Why are you crying? What happened?" She asked, cupping his face as he continued to stare down at the wall. The more time that passed, the more her fear started to rise in her stomach. It turned, making her feel sick and her blood ran cold.

"Did something happen to Stefan? Lily?" She asked and got no response. It alarmed her further. "Damon Salvatore!" She snapped as loud as she could without waking up the other residents in her house. Damon looked back up to her, his eyes coming back into focus and not hazed over. He shook his head before letting her go and removing himself from her hold. He walked back over to the window, his back to her.

"I shouldn't have come here" He sighed. Why would he go and kiss her? Maybe she didn't love him like he loved her. Maybe all she felt was friendship and now he might have ruined that. Elena moved and stood in front of him, blocking his way out of the window.

"You're not leaving until you tell me what's wrong. Why did you come here in the middle of the night with no shirt on and kiss me?" She blushed at the end of her sentence, a movement Damon didn't notice. He sighed and sat on her bed.

"I just had a dream..." He mumbled, resting his elbows on his knees and buried his face into his hands.

"Well, what was it about? A 'dream' doesn't cause all of this, Damon. What happened in the dream that made you want to run to my house and kiss me. Did something happen to me?" Elena asked, waving her hand in the air in question. Damon pursed his lips at her.

"It was a nightmare, actually. A really bad one. And, yeah, it was about you..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "After I texted you, I fell asleep on my bed almost right after. I appeared on the road right by my house, the one we always walk down from school, and i was floating in the air. I couldn't see myself. I could only see through my eyes and I was watching above. I saw you. You were walking, no doubt from my house, by yourself in the middle of the night. The moon was really high in the sky so I'm guessing that it was after midnight. And, I questioned myself. Why didn't I take her home like I always do but I guess that's what my brain wanted in the dream. I called your name but you couldn't hear me. You were walking on the side of the road and suddenly a man came behind you form the woods. It was clear he was following you but he wasn't trying to alarm you in any way. So, he made it look like he was just walking. You noticed it when he picked up speed and walked faster to you and you pulled out your phone and typed a message. Then, just as you dialed 911, the man ran up and threw you on the ground. He smashed your phone and dragged you off to the woods, holding his hand over your mouth so you couldn't scream. You both disappeared into the woods and then a few moments later, you screamed and then it went quiet..." He paused, his face heartbroken at the entire thing.

Elena's mouth dripped open and she tucked her hair behind her ears, coming closer to him. "Damon-" She started and he held a hand up to stop her. She paused a few feet in front of him, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm done yet." He stated, his voice hoarse like the thought of the dream was going to make him cry. "After that, I woke up, well not really. I was still in the dream but I woke up and ran downstairs because something didn't feel right. When I got down there, mom was crying hysterically. I asked her why and all she could do was point to the TV. I felt my heart break when I read what was on the screen. It said that you had been found dead with a picture of your smiling face next to the reporter. I ran upstairs and cried before I looked at my phone. I didn't know why but I still did it. Once I opened my phone, I saw that there was a text from you the night you were murdered. I read it and it said 'Damon, there's someone following me. Please come get me. I'm not far from your house. I'm sorry I left without telling you. Please come and get me! Please, Dame. I'm scared...' And, I woke up" He finished, staring at the floor, his face emotionless.

"Damon," Elena sighed before coming closer to him. She walked between his legs as he lifted up. She ran her fingers through his raven hair and he buried his face into her toned stomach.

"I..." She started before stopping herself. "I don't know what to say. What made this dream even come up? You've never had one like this ebfore. At least, not as bad. Was it random or did something else cause it?"

He shook his head. "It was my thoughts. I was thinking about you before I laid down and hours before _that,_ I was thinking about you..." He murmured into her skin.

"Well, what made you think about my so much. I mean, if you thought about me like you did earlier today, then dreams like this would happen more often so what about me was making you think so hard?" She asked, her cheeks growing red and she thanked God that Damon couldn't see.

He went silent.

"Damon?" She asked.

He pulled away from her skin and sighed. "I love you" Elena's eyebrows furrowed.

"I love you too" She said, confused. He shook his head before standing up, making her back away.

"No, you don't understand, Elena..." He pouted. "I don't mean _I love you,_ I mean I'm _in_ love with you. I had been thinking about you because I've been having these feelings for you and I didn't know how I felt. I get the nightmare sparked my true feelings for you. And, all I could think about was getting to you" He mumbled and met Elena's eyes.

He swallowed nervously when she was frozen, staring at him. It unnerved him. He just told her that he was in love with her and that he couldn't stop thinking about her so much that he had a nightmare about her dying and all she could do was stand there?

"Elena?" He asked, quietly. "Are you okay?"

She finally snapped back up to him and nodded, her eyes wide. She put a hand on her chest and came closer.

"You're in love with me?" She asked in a nervous, shaking voice. He looked up at the brown swirls and nodded.

The next thing he knew, she had pulled him to her lips and nearly knocked all the wind form his lungs. Not innocently, like a tease but hot, fiery, passionate and demanding. Warmth and lust spread through his body and he rested his hands on her hips, pulling her flush against his chest. She kissed him harder and they fell back on the bed as she straddled his hips, never moving her lips away from his. And, it didn't look like she planned too anytime soon with the way her hands were freely roaming over his chest. He placed his hands under her jawline, cupping her face, ready to push her away before his body started to give in to her demands.

All the blood rushed below his belt and was having a hard time to find a reason to pull away. They rolled over and he pressed her into the mattress hard and she moaned low in his mouth, making his eyes snap open from the sound. He jumped of the bed as if he had been burned and tried to catch his breath as she sat up, confused.

"Damon, what's wrong?" She asked, fixing her shirt that had ridden up from their heated lip lock. He shook his head.

"Elena, that's not why I came over here. And, that's not the way I want this to happen. Your family could walk at any time and I'm not trying to get on The Gilbert parents bad side" He said, chuckling. Elena nodded and licked her lips.

"Sorry, I just got carried away. I never expected you to say that, Damon. Like... ever" She said, staring at the floor burning a hole in it and tucked her ear behind her ears, a movement he recognized as her nerves. Damon's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why not?" He demanded. "Why _wouldn't_ I feel like that for you? It's not _crazy,_ Elena. We've grown up together. There's bound to be some feelings"

"I know that but I just never thought you would fall in love with me is what I'm saying. I don't doubt you care for me but I never expect this because..." She stopped herself, covering her mouth before she could say more.

"What, Elena. Spit it out" Damon said, leaning against the wall.

"Because, I've had feelings for you... I've loved you for a long time. Months. Maybe even a few years. And, I didn't say anything because I didn't want to ruin our friendship. You're the only person that knows me like the back of your hand. And, I didn't want that taken from me because of my stupid feelings. So, I just kept quiet about them and continued our friendship" She said, her voice quivering. Damon licked his lips and came closer to the bed she sat on. He cupped her face and tilted her head up to him.

"Elena, this would _never_ ruin our friendship. Of course, we would both feel different. But, it could never destroy it. I promise. We said nothing would ever come between us, not even ourselves, and I would never let that happen. You should have come to me so we could have talked about this. I've been feeling the same things, but just not as long. I wanted to know what if let before I said anything" Damon explained before bending down to her level. His thumb rested on under her chin and he sighed.

"You're just a barrel of emotions, aren't you?" He mumbled, smiling, a teasing glint in his eyes. She smiled, shyly and he shook his head at the action.

"Smile real big. I want to see your perfect lips spread apart for me" She blushed, her face growing hot at the double meaning for his words and covered her face with her hands, glaring at him playfully. He smirked, making her laugh and smile brightly. She moved her hands to in her lap and continued laughing. Damon's smiled at he before she looked at him, her cheeks scarlet.

"I wish I could stay longer but if my mother knew I snuck off to your house in the middle of the night, she would ring me a new one, especially with no shirt on. And, your parents would kill me as well" Elena chuckled. "But, I need to go. I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?" He asked as they both stood up from the bed. He walked over to the window and turned and bent down to kiss her lips.

They pulled away after a moment, Elena's face red and Damon grinning like he won the lottery.

"Bye, Dame" She whispered, shy. She wrapped her arms around his waist hugging him and he kissed her head before turning back to the window, staring to crawl out of it. "Text or call me when you get home so I know you're okay"

He nodded, climbing down the tree and landing on the ground.

"Love you" Elena called, staring down at him, smiling brightly.

"I love you too. Bye 'Lena" He whispered, fearful he might wake up the Gilbert family before tuning and going home.

* * *

 _What you think? I loved it._

 _I_ _updated "Bottom_ _of The Ocean" and am currently writing the second part_ _to "Promise" and_ _getting_ _my_ _thoughts together for the story based on "A Rose for Elena"_

 _Tell me your_ _thoughts ;_ _)_


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